Perceptions of and preferences for English language teaching among pre-service teachers of EFL

Abstract

Pre-service teachers' beliefs and perceptions of teaching can influence their future teaching in schools. In this respect, it is important for teacher trainers to understand how pre-service teachers think about themselves as teachers and guide them to have more positive views on teaching. At present, however, little is known about perceptions of Korean pre-service teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL). This article reports the results of a study, looking at the similarities and differences between elementary and secondary pre-service English teachers' perceptions of teaching in Korea. A total of 137 pre-service teachers from a teachers' college and a college of education responded to a questionnaire about their motivations for becoming a teacher and their perceptions of teaching. The findings of the study suggest that, while the two groups had similar motivations for becoming a teacher and goals of EFL teaching, the two groups showed statistically significant differences in the following areas: their roles in choosing teaching materials, the consideration of students' individual differences, the importance of teachers' speaking and comprehension skills in English, the teaching of culture of English-speaking countries, the use of the Internet for teaching EFL, the consideration of some instrumental factors in designing an English course and their selection of certain teaching activities.